Image: aa.com.tr
On May 28, the Turkish military and its proxies carried out a series of artillery strikes on the northern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah.
The intense artillery strikes targeted several villages held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the outskirts of the towns of Tell Tamer and Abu Rasin. Turkish drones were spotted over the area during the strikes.
According to the Hawar News Agency, the artillery strikes wounded a fighter of the Khabour Guards, an Assyrian faction of the SDF. The strikes also inflicted heavy damage on civilian properties in the targeted villages.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Hawar News Agency.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the Turkish artillery strikes had displaced a large number of civilians from the northern al-Hasakah countryside.
Recent reports revealed that the Turkish military and its proxies are preparing to launch a large-scale operation against the SDF in northern and northeastern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a recent speech that the aim of the new operation will be to create a 30 kilometer “safe zone” along the border with Syria.
Any new Turkish operation in Syria will not likely targeted the northern al-Hasakah countryside. The operation will most likely take place in the northern and northeastern Aleppo countryside as well as in the northern Raqqa countryside. Kurdish fighters have been launching attacks against the Turkish military and its proxies from these areas.
Russia has already took military measures to deter Turkey and prevent it from embarking on a new operation in Syria. Meanwhile, the US is yet to make any move to help the SDF, which is supposed to be its key ally in Syria.
